VIA Corporate Newsletter, June 2008 - "Small is Beautiful" at Computex 2008

»	VIA at Computex 2008
»	All Eyes on the VIA Nano Processor
»	Mini-ITX 2.0: The Platform for Tomorrow's Mini PCs
»	VIA Mini-ITX 2.0 Plays Crysis
»	Hands on with the VIA OpenBook
»	Feel the Mini-Note Love
»	VIA-Based UMPCs

UMDs Mean Business in 2008

While mini-notes stole the Computex limelight, UMDs have been quietly carving out successful business for themselves in vertical markets. Power efficient VIA C7-M based devices on display this year included UMDs from Samsung, OQO, and even a new ruggedized slate style design from Pegatron that really emphasizes the flexibility of the UMD form factor in work spaces that are affected by harsher environmental conditions.

See all of the UMDs design wins here or at VIA's booth on display here in this video.

June 2008

"Small is Beautiful" at Computex 2008

VIA continued the theme of "Small is Beautiful" for an array of key announcements in May and at the Computex Taipei 2008 trade show in June. Here are some of the highlights:

The new VIA Nano processor family launch
The VIA press conference
The VIA OpenBook Mini-note Reference Design launch
VIA-based mini-note PC showcase
Prestigious awards for the VIA OpenBook and VIA Nano processor platform

VIA at Computex 2008

Computex always presents VIA with a fun-filled opportunity to show off our brand spanking new products, and with the recent launch of the VIA OpenBook mini-note reference design and the brand new VIA Nano processor, this year was no exception. VIA's booth at the Taipei International Convention Center was packed with a dizzying array of new VIA processor-based mini-note PCs and UMDs, a complete home network environment created out of VIA's complete embedded systems, and much more. This video walks you through the VIA booth to let you see first- hand all these thrilling new products.

All Eyes on the VIA Nano Processor

Winning the prestigious 'Best of Computex' award on the first day of Computex, the new VIA Nano processor platform certainly started the show in style! VIA was delighted to accept this award for technical innovation for mobile platforms; read more here.

The VIA Nano processor also took center stage at this year's VIA booth at Computex, at the heart of the VIA Trinity Platform demo. This platform comprises three key components – the new VIA Nano processor, the VIA VX800 unified digital media IGP chipset, and the S3 Graphics Chrome 440ULP graphics card, delivering DX10 graphics and HD video playback in compact desktop and notebook syste

Demonstrating the high-level processing power of the VIA Nano processor, the VIA Trinity Platform showed off its Blu-ray Disc™ capabilities with flawless playback of a range of video titles. As the only single-core processor on the market able to provide Blu-ray playback, the VIA Nano processor looks set to become hugely popular with OEMs wanting to offer the full complement of entertainment options without the high cost associated with dual-core systems.

Mini-ITX 2.0: The Platform for Tomorrow's Mini PCs

Computex 2008 saw the announcement of VIA's Mini-ITX 2.0 concept at a packed press conference at the Grand Hyatt Taipei Hotel. VIA's Timothy Chen, Special Assistant to the President, and Richard Brown, VP of Marketing introduced Mini-ITX 2.0 as the future of the popular Mini-ITX platform in delivering a rich computing and multimedia experience to mini PCs. Drew Henry, General Manager of NVIDIA MCP Division, was also present to sing its praises as a platform for enabling truly visual computing in small form factor desktops.

Powered by a high performance, energy efficient processor like the new VIA Nano processor, Mini-ITX 2.0 is a set of minimum specifications for the next generation of Mini-ITX boards, designed to encourage the integration of the latest PC technologies into the small form factor market. It is also aimed at providing OEMs, system integrators and end-users alike greater freedom of choice in configuring mini PCs and home media centers to deliver an optimized graphics, high definition video, and computing experience.

With its long-term commitment to supporting open industry standards, VIA is working with leading industry partners including NVIDIA, the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, to drive innovation and maximize freedom of choice around the Mini-ITX 2.0 standard.

For more information on Mini-ITX 2.0, please visit the VIA website here, while a video of NVIDIA's Drew Henry speaking at the press conference can be viewed here.

VIA Mini-ITX 2.0 Plays Crysis
To prove the performance capabilities of an optimized PC platform like the Mini-ITX 2.0, C.J. Holthaus of Centaur Technology, VIA's CPU design house, put on an awesome demonstration of the new VIA Nano processor on the Mini-ITX 2.0 platform, playing the advanced DX10 PC games Crysis™ and BioShock™. Click here to watch the Mini-ITX 2.0 in action during the live demonstration of playing Crysis!

Hands on with the VIA OpenBook

One of the stars of Computex, winning a Gold award for design & innovation at the show, was the recently launched VIA OpenBook mini-note reference design. This stylish new VIA C7-M processor based mini-note offers modular choices for WiFi, GPS and 3G cellular connectivity as well as open sourced CAD design files for the external panels that enable flexible design options to VIA's partners.

"we're quite impressed that VIA's crammed as much inside the OpenBook as it has, and perks like 3G / 4G connectivity, a trio of USB ports and a media card reader are making that MacBook Air look positively last century..." .... Engadget.

VP of corporate marketing Richard Brown hits the open road in this video that shows off both the form and function of this amazing new mini-note.

Feel the Mini-Note Love
The consumer public is truly enamored with the mini-note, and what better place to see this love affair in action than at VIA's booth at Computex this year! OEMs and end-users alike were keen to touch, feel and be photographed with the VIA C7-M processor based mini-notes, and VIA had a pretty impressive line-up. Over 19 units, based on VIA's NanoBook Reference Design, were on display from 16 different manufacturers. From startling pink to sleek, executive silver models, there was a mini-note for every lifestyle. Originally intended for educational use and emerging markets the cross-over appeal has been enormous and the Mini-Note is fast becoming a must-have fashion item, as well as an invaluable business tool!

Click here to watch VIA Marketing Manager Tim Brown give a guided tour of VIA's mini-note display at Computex Taipei 2008.

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